"You think Ma doesn't love Momma and us 'nuff to stay home?" Zap asks quietly as they start the uphill trek to the Acres.

"Twilight's sake, Zap! Move on!" Jazz snipes at him, tugging on his rainbow mane.

"Hey! Quit it! Ow!"

"Why're you so stuck on Family Day anyways? You've been yappin 'bout it since it was announced! Ah'm gettin sick of it!"

Jazz lands before the open archway- it never felt right to fly on home base, it was earth pony territory, ain't it? She shakes her wings as Zap shows up, pacing himself as he fixes his mane.

"Slowpoke!"

"Whatever! Ah'm gonna go ask Momma somethin!"

"This better not be about her again! ...Ugh!" Jazz rolls her eyes skywards as she gets ignored.

"Zap~ Wait up! You know I'm slower on ground!"

Ignored again.

"Momma! Momma! Momma!" Zap yells, effectively catching not one, but three Apples bucking their trees. "Heya, Uncle Big! Auntie Bloom!"

"Woah now, sugarcube," Applejack sits down, giving her son an apple to munch on.

Wordlessly biting onto the sweet treat, the colt then proceeds to speak with his mouth half-full. "Momma, is Rainbow Dash really our Ma?"

His mother takes off her hat, "A'course she is, young'un. What brought this on?"

"Ain't parents s'pose to be there for their kids? Why ain't Ma with us?" He asks in time for his sister to arrive.

Applejack prolongs answering by giving her daughter an apple different from the one given to her son. It's been nine months since the last time Rainbow Dash was home, but ever since Twilight added to the duties of the Wonderbolts, the pegasi flight team became something like travelling peacekeepers of Equestria. (or as Rainbow likes to call it, 'glorified messengers that creatures pay to watch')

"Is it cuz she don't love us?" Jazz asks, impatient.

"Nah... That ain't it at all, filly. Yer Ma jes got business with different creatures and countries, that's all."

"Don'tcha miss 'er?"

"Dont'cha love 'er?"

Wary of her siblings amused and teasing smirks, Applejack slowly replies, "Well, hay now... A'fore Ah answer yer questions, I want y'all to answer mine first. What do y'all think love is anyways?"

The question got both twins munching on their apples as they went on thinking of an answer. Eventually, Zap answers first, "It's uhm... when you like some creature very much?"

Jazz rolls her eyes, "It's a strong and powerful emotion you feel, like Friendship!"

Applejack nods, "Uh huh, and do I or yer Ma ever came off as emotional to y'all?"

"Eeenope," came Big Mac's unsolicited drawl.

Applebloom mercifully feels it fit to remedy this by tugging their brother away from there. Alone with her foals once more, Applejack deigns to elaborate.

"While yer Ma and I do love each other 'nuff to get married, live together and start a family, we also put somethin' else first. It's a little somethin called partnership, Jazzie. Why be driven by emotion when y'all can have yer wits about'cha? Partnership is built through years and years of knowin that pony, or creature- trustin 'em, respectin 'em, cooperatin' with 'em and committin to 'em in buildin' a life y'all can be happy with together," Applejack explains, but seeing the unfocused gazes of both twins makes the farmpony sigh.

"Look'it this way, both of ya. When Jazzie forgot to tell ya she borrowed yer scooter, you got mad, didnt'cha?"

"Mhm," Zap affirms.

"Ya got emotional, and let yer feelins of bein mad make ya hurt Jazzie in return. Ruinin' her school project, and disappointin' Sweetie Belle. If y'all were mature ponies with a good sense of partnership, y'all would've discussed it first instead. Jazz woulda apologized to ya, and nopony would've been hurt in the first place. Y'all gettin' what Ah'ma sayin?"

"Kinda... But how does your partnership with Ma even work if she's not there to talk?"

"Oh, we talk jes fine through letters. Them weird toys she sends are her way of talkin to ya, sayin she's thinkin of ya both. A'course, Ah kept telling her to write y'all, but maybe y'all should take the initiative instead, hm? In fact, Ah reckon yer Auntie Applebloom's got some extra stationery, dont'cha sis?"

The eavesdropping mare slowly walks out from behind the trees, smiling and blushing with her ears flat. "Eyup, c'mon now, young'uns, let's getcha writin yer Ma a letter," Applebloom says, falling back to her teacher persona.

Applejack nods, satisfied with the outcome of that little discussion.

"Crash! Come'ere for a second," Spitfire calls out.

The team's colorful athlete tiredly hovers over, her wet mane still towel-wrapped. "Yes, ma'am?"

"Look at my desk and tell me what you see," the Captain instructs.

...

"Is that... a letter from my son? Why would Zap be writing to you?"

Spitfire raises a brow, looking at Rainbow over her sunglasses. Does it look like she knew?

Soarin leans on their Captain as he butts in, "Don't sound so upset, you got one too. It's from your other kid."

"Really?" Rainbow asks, perking up.

Spitfire rolls her eyes.

Family Day came and went, and with it, so did Rainbow Dash's work leave. The deal was only for a week, after all, and Spitfire expected her to be in Stalliongrad for the show and the delegate meeting. Foreign affairs like those meetings had the ability to bore almost every Wonderbolt, but Rainbow's feeling of obligation to ensure successful Equestrian relations meant Spitfire always picks her to tag along with Fleetfoot who actually has a head for politics, surprisingly enough. For Soarin or anyone else to take Rainbow's place was not an option Spitfire wanted to make.

But first:

"Hey, uhm... before I go, I wanna tell you kids something... Something I should've said much sooner..."

"Yeah, Ma?"

Rainbow breathes deeply, "I'm sorry... I'm sorry for being such an absent parent. That wasn't very motherly of me, and I totally don't deserve your forgiveness-"

She's cut off by her foals' warm embrace.

"To be honest, Ah'm mighty sorry too. We weren't really thinkin' of how y'all would take to this setup, huh? While we were fine with it, we dun' forgot to ask what y'all thought of it," Applejack confesses.

"Yeah, being part of a family is more than working with a team. Everyone should be willing to compromise. And you three have been super patient with me about my career, so... it's only fair for it to be my turn to do some compromising now."

"...That sounds good, Ma..." Jazz says, breaking off from the hug.

"We forgive y'all- cuz you're both gonna be making up for it."

Author's Note

Zap is a freckled earth pony with a coat similar to Bow Hothoof's, except it's just a shade lighter. His eyes are identical to Rainbow's own, as well as his mane and tail. His personality is a toned-down version of Rainbow's, but the main difference being that he loves it when Grandpa Bow and Grandma Windy visits. Zap is secretly very competitive, only his sister knows just how competitive he can get.

Jazz is a freckled pegasus with Pear Butter's coat, her mane and tail also comes in Rainbow-colored, except Jazz has curly hair. Her eyes are green, similar to Applejack's. She feels weird being a pegasus in an earth pony household, thus why she makes up for it by trying so hard to be like those around her. Auntie Sugar Belle later expands on this, while Momma Applejack tries to make Jazz be her own pony.